


first frost

by lemurlovemail



Category: Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Crying, Fluff, Gen, Goodbyes, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Mild Angst???, Minor Mumintroll | Moomintroll/Snusmumriken | Snufkin, Not Beta Read, Platonic Relationships, Pre-Relationship, Sad with a Happy Ending, Tears, hints of romance, just a lil smooch, kinda sad, moomin is just a little babey :((, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 13:24:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19252087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemurlovemail/pseuds/lemurlovemail
Summary: the time has come once again for snufkin to travel south, and for moomin to say goodbyethis happens every year, so why is this year any different?





	first frost

**Author's Note:**

> hi! id like to say a few things before i start this off  
> this short ficlet/one-shot was 100% inspired by my friend mels art! please please go check her work out, it is absolutely amazing. her instagram is @colorfulloflove !  
> additionally, this wasnt beta read and i wrote most of it while high so i expect theres a few mistakes i may not have gotten fixed up. sorry in advance for that.  
> this was just kinda a messy drabble anyway, so nothing is too cleaned up and details such as point of view are kind of sloppy.  
> besides all that, please enjoy!  
> this is my first time writing (and finishing) a moomin related piece of writing, and first time publishing any moomin writing anywhere! hope its good enough lmao

  Autumn was coming to an end. Summer came and left, quicker than a blink of an eye. The painfully hot days, with clear skies and bright shining sun had been replaced with cooler temperatures and falling leaves. The grass had lost its green lushness. The trees were brandished with bold striking reds and oranges and yellows. Snufkin would be leaving soon. 

  Snufkin could feel it. With each day getting cooler, and the days getting shorter, he knew he would have to head south soon before it got too cold for him to stay. He would have to say goodbye to Moomin once again. 

  Moomin knew as well. Every year was hard. The troll could feel that this one would be especially tough. He was unprepared to say goodbye once more. The thought filled him with great dread, and while he knew it was inevitable he still couldn’t bear to think of it, and pushed it to the back of his mind when he could. 

  This summer the two spent a particularly large amount of time together, growing closer than they had any other year. What made this spring and summer different than the others, neither boy could tell. Maybe one day they would be able to figure out a word to put on it. 

 

* * *

 

  Moomin awoke to the first frost, sunlight glittering on his frozen window panes. He felt his heart sink. Snufkin would no doubt head south soon, possibly even today. The troll got out of bed with a silent sigh and headed downstairs. Moominmamma greeted him with a breakfast of warm fluffy pancakes, fresh from the stove, their warm comforting smell filling the kitchen and wafting towards the other rooms. 

  Moomintroll ate rather quickly, as the thought of Snufkin departing was still fresh in his mind. He sipped the last of his milk and dropped his dishes in the sink, and uttered a quick “Thank you, Mamma,” before heading out the front door. As he ambled down the path leading from Moominhouse, the white furred boy could spot a distant green-clad figure near the bridge. No tent stood in the usual spot on the far side of the riverbank. Snufkin was preparing to leave. Moomin felt his pace quicken. 

  Moomin’s soft paws padded across the wooden bridge.

“Snufkin…”

“Moomintroll,” Snufkin offered, without looking up from what he was doing. His dark paws were busied with packing up his sole set of dishes and cutlery into his bag, along with his other belongings. His tent was already neatly packed away. Moomin’s throat felt thick. 

“Are you leaving already?” the troll asked quietly. 

“Yes I am, Moomin. In fact, I believe I have stayed a bit longer than I should have this year. I’ll have to make good time as I head south, to avoid the snow.” 

“... I see.”

  Moomin sat down on the ground near Snufkin, watching as he continued to sort through his belongings. He used a single claw and began to scratch at the ground mindlessly. His white tail lay limply on the ground next to him. Watching Snufkin silently put him into a state of contemplation, and he wondered how he would survive this winter. Sure, it tore him up every year to say farewell, but he had always been able to sate himself with the reminder that Snufkin would always return on the first day of spring. So why was it he now felt like he would simply crumble and fall to the ground having to say goodbye this time? 

  Snufkin stood up, snapping moomin out of his brooding. The mumrik had everything he owned packed securely into his bag, and his tent and blankets were rolled up and strapped on. Moomin scrambled to his feet after him, panic filling his mind. 

“Are you leaving right now?” Moomin queried, voice trembling slightly. Snufkin hesitated and looked at Moomin. 

“Not quite. How would you like to spend one last day together in that field just down the path here?” Snufkin spoke gently, a surprisingly soft tone in his voice. 

Moomin almost burst into tears on the spot. he opened his mouth, as if to respond, but decided he didn’t trust his voice to not crack and make him begin to cry, and instead nodded yes furiously. Snufkin offered a paw towards moomin, who took it in his, and the two boys walked down the path together. 

  Bright colors of fall surrounded them; vivid and crisp, like the leaves crunching under Moomin’s paws and Snufkin’s boots. Moomin’s tail dragged on the ground behind him. Snufkin took a turn, veering to the right. The duo followed a less distinctive but still well worn path to a small valley. Moomin and friends sometimes went here in the summer and picked flowers while talking. A few times, Moomin and Snufkin stayed out late and watched the sun set and the night sky fill with stars. Now, well into autumn, the cold had taken a hold of the valley, ridding it of most of the flowers that usually filled the hills. A few patches of flowers still stood, their leaves and petals stung by the frost. A few clusters of sunflowers stood out among the valley. 

  The two boys settled into a spot at the top of a hill. Neither said much, opting to relish the last moments they would have in one another’s company rather than talk needlessly. Snufkin never stopped holding Moomin’s paw. Moomin tried not to dwell on this fact. Together they sat for an hour or two, enjoying the last rays of sun strong enough to provide any warmth and watched the scenery of the small valley before them. Moomin spent more time stealing glances at Snufkin’s face than looking at the landscape around them, trying to imprint every last detail of his friends’ face in his mind before he would leave.

 

* * *

 

  Snufkin had to begin his travels shortly after lunch, which he spent with the Moomin family. He thanked Mamma for the good meal, and said his farewells to Pappa and the others. Moomin and Snufkin left the house together. Snufkin’s boots crunched softly against the small pebbles and dead leaves along the path leading to and from Moominhouse. Moomin’s softer, fur covered paws padded along quietly. The bridge got closer with every step, and Moomin felt his chest grow tighter, and his eyes sting with tears.

  Reaching the bridge, Snufkin paused. The mumrik reached for Moomin’s paw and took it in his. “Well, Moomintroll, it’s time for me to depart.” He gave the white paw a soft squeeze before letting go, stepping forward, then turning around to face Moomin. Tears welled up in the trolls large blue eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment. “Goodbye for now, my Moomin.”    
  Moomin rushed forward, tears finally spilling over, and grabbed Snufkin tightly as if holding on for dear life. He sobbed, his fresh tears rolling down his cheeks and muzzle, creating trails of damp fur.

“Please, Snufkin! Please don’t leave me!” he hiccupped, breathing raggedly. Snufkin froze momentarily.   
“Moomin, you know I must go.”   
“I know but… Oh please, I don’t know how I will be able to make it this winter! Please, Snufkin! Please, let me come with, anything! Please don’t leave me Snufkin…”   
“I wish you could come with, my Moomin, I do. But I must be alone, as I must have this trip.” Snufkin spoke gently, a hint of sorrow in his tone. He circled his arms around Moomin, pulling him closer to his chest in a tight hug. His fingers grasped the white fur gently, softly stroking it as if trying to soothe the distraught Moomintroll. “I will be back in the spring, as always.” Snufkin tried to reassure.   
“This year…” Moomin sniffled. “This year feels different than the others, Snufkin.” He admitted, taking a breath and gazing up into Snufkin’s hazel eyes, tears still streaming from his own. “It’s harder than usual. I don’t want to say goodbye, Snufkin.”   
  Snufkin eased his grip on the troll slightly, pulling back some to look at him. His eyes searched Moomin’s for a moment. 

“I know, moomin. But I assure you I will come back, the first day of spring, just as always.”

“... Do you promise? First day of spring?” the Moomin sniffled.   
“Yes.” Snufkin assured him. The brunette then bent forward some, wrapped a hand behind Moomin’s neck and back and pulled him closer, before leaning his head down and planting a gentle kiss onto Moomin’s forehead. A bright red blush spread across Moomin’s cheeks, and he gripped tighter to Snufkin, trembling in his arms. Snufkin pressed his cheek against Moomin’s soft white fur for a moment, before speaking again.   
“I promise, my dove.”

  
  


  Moomin watched Snufkin walk away, standing at the edge of the bridge, staring after Snufkin until he disappeared from sight. That night as he laid in his bed trying to fall asleep he pondered the kiss, and why it had been so hard to say goodbye this year. 

Maybe that strange unnamed feeling that had followed them throughout summer and made parting so difficult was just simply

love.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! kudos and comments are greatly appreciated <3  
> im always down to chat about moomin! hit me up at my moomin discord if youre interested, at https://discord.gg/EuTANKg !!!
> 
> also, some bonus concepts i wanted to fit in but decided against since it would clutter up the plot too much and would be too annoying to fit in:  
> \- snufkin giving moomin a sunflower (which would mean adoration or dedicated love)  
> \- moomin using mammas ribbon and making him and snufkin wear matching bows on their tails to remember each other by over the winter (inspired by another snufmin fic i read recently! i cant recall the name as of right now, but ill come back sometime and link to it or give the title/author!)


End file.
